Nearly 80 per cent of British Columbians would support a handgun ban in their city, a poll from Research Co. released Monday has found.
The poll comes after politicians in Montreal and Toronto spoke out in favour of a handgun ban after a deadly shooting in the latter’s Danforth neighbourhood this summer.
The debate came to B.C. in mid-August, as Surrey mayoral candidate Tom Gill said he was in favour of “cracking down on handguns” in the city.
According to Statistic Canada, just under half of B.C.’s homicides in 2016 involved a firearm – the highest percentage in Canada aside from Nova Scotia.
READ MORE: Handgun ban issue fires up Surrey candidates
While 79 per cent of 800 B.C. residents surveyed would support a handgun ban, the number supporting a ban on military-style assault weapons was even higher at 86 per cent.
“Support for the course of action charted in Montreal is high across the entire province,” said Research Co. president Mario Canseco.
“Women and British Columbians aged 55 and over are definitely more likely to be in favour of implementing these bans.”
